maspablo

I have been to Thailand 4-5 times , Bkk , Koh Samui/koh Tao/Koh Phan Kan Chang Mai /Pattaya.

I have yet to go to Andaman coast .

I arrive BKK on a Monday April 3rd early afternoon , get measured for suits/shirts ,show my friend around ( first time thai) Grand Palace etc. ON Tuesday night , I am thinking of going to beach to relax for couple days w/th/and head back to BKK friday am . We have Saturday flight to SIN .
Where should I go ? Phuket or Krabi ?
I would like to stay fairly close to airport , within 45 minutes .
looking for natural beauty , and relaxing beach . no need for major nightlife , but doesnt bother me if nearbye .

I have yet to go to Krabi or Phuket , is April rainy ? but want to see , what ever is easiest , and reasonable $$ , with relaxation .
yes , i have searched , and have lonely planet books , but looking for suggestions , specific to next week . thanks

donovan1313

April is relatively dry. However it is the hottest time of year. Both are beautiful islands. Both have airports that TG and LCCs serve.

Why not do both? You can take a boat or heli from Phuket to Krabi and spend a night. Then for future trips you can decide for yourself where to spend the time if you are at all impressed with either island

wahoo99

What a dimemma, both are great! If money is not an issue and you want to spend a few days on one of the most amazing places I have ever been, go to Rayavadee (www.rayavadee.com) in Krabi. You fly into Krabi and then take a boat from Krabi town to the Railay peninsula, which is inaccessible by car due to the dramatic karsts that block off the peninsula. The landscape is out of this world, big dramatic karsts just rising our of the blue/green water, wonderful white sand beaches. There are 3 beaches on the peninsula....Railay, Nam Mao, and Phranang...Phranang is spectacular! Railay is nice as well, but is rather shallow and not quite as nice.

At any rate, Rayavadee affords the best location on the peninsula and is just amazing in general. Great service, the rooms are all beautiful free standing pavilions, and the grounds are wonderful. And for a taste of some other life outside the resort, you just walk out of the resort and down Railay or Nam Mao beaches for a smattering of other restaurants and bars. There are no cars or roads, so you don't even have to wear shoes...just walk down the beach. The area is also a big rock climbing area so there are lots of smaller hotels along the beach that cater to a lively young rock climber/back packer crowd. I thought it was great to meet all the people and have fun with that crowd, I am not one to spend too much time holed up in a resort only.

There are other much less espensive places to stay on the peninsula as well, and very nice too. One such place is the Sunrise Tropical Resort (www.sunrisetropical.com).

Other than that, we loved Phuket as well. But to be honest, we never went to Phuket proper, we only stayed at the JW Marriott which is fairly remote and north of the airport. It was another spectacular property along a beautiful quiet stretch of beach. You can even get rooms there via priceline really cheap, just read about it on biddingfortravel.com. I have also been scoping out another spot in the Andaman area for my next trip to Thailand, it is called The Racha (www.theracha.com) and is on a small island you have to take a boat to from Phuket. Looks beautiful and you can dive off the beach, which is a great bonus for us.

Anyways, happy travels to Thailand...I am jealous of your trip, it's wonderful there!

maspablo

thanks for information. I like idea of Krabi .
While I will be in SE Asia for 20 days , and 4 countries , only going to one beach in Thailand , got to catch my breath .